molding
Americannoun
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moldings
plural
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the act or process of molding.
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something molded.
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a strip of contoured wood or other material placed just below the juncture of a wall and a ceiling.
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Architecture, Furniture.
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any of various long, narrow, ornamental surfaces that are either continuous or discontinuous, with uniform cross sections for the full length and a strikingly modeled profile that casts strong shadows: used on frames, tables, etc., and certain architectural members, as cornices, stringcourses, or bases.
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a strip of wood, stone, etc., having such a surface.
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noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of molding
Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; see origin at mold 1, -ing 1
Vocabulary lists containing molding
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
There’s the cutting and molding of the cake into a cup.
From Salon ● Jun. 14, 2026
Vikash Bind, a 26-year-old molding machine operator in Haryana, makes about $180 a month with overtime, with which he supports his wife, two children and his parents back in the village.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 22, 2026
We just have really worked well at building something or molding it, creating it and shaping it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 27, 2026
Like Witkoff, he doesn’t seem to understand that making peace, actively enforcing a ceasefire or molding the foundations to sustain one, is not a one-off gesture.
From Slate ● Dec. 22, 2025
Miniature roses are etched into the molding, and it fits in the palm of my hand.
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
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Among the worthwhile cosmetic upgrades: the body-matching lower moldings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 25, 2026
The home, which sits at 211 Elizabeth St., sprawls across 1,600 square feet and pre-staged photos revealed dark herringbone floors, black crown moldings, and a dark-toned chef’s kitchen, according to Curbed.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 9, 2025
Inside, the ballroom is all white and gold like a czar’s summer palace, with coffered ceilings, gold-trimmed moldings, and crystal chandeliers.
From Slate ● Aug. 5, 2025
It was an opera house, and it was really there, with its baroque moldings and balconies sprawling out atop the Empire Polo Club stage at this year’s Coachella festival.
From Salon ● Apr. 16, 2025
Politely he admires the plaster cove moldings, the ceiling medallions, the marble mantelpieces, things he knows how to speak intelligently and at length about.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.